FLY TYING SEASON IS HERE
BY JOHN BERRY
My busy season ended a week ago. I spent the last few days making repairs to my boat trailer and resting up a bit. I am now going through all of my fishing gear to make sure that everything is ready to go for my next trip. The first thing that I noticed when I began this process was that the contents of my fly boxes were greatly depleted. I furnish flies to my clients and some can lose over a dozen in one day. I have been tying steadily for the last few days and I am just beginning to make a dent in the task. My goal is to tie forty flies each day. It will take me quite a while to tie all of the flies that I need.
I took my first fly tying class about thirty years ago and since then I have taken many classes, some from famous tiers like Lefty Kreh, Jack Dennis, Chico Fernandez and Dave Whitlock. I learned something from all of them. I probably learned the most from my brother, Dan. He is a talented fly tier and earned his living as a commercial fly tier for several years. Over the years my skills have improved. I do not consider myself a master tier. I am a fly fishing guide and I tie those flies that I need for my own fishing and for my clients. Therefore my style is to tie guide flies. These are simple patterns that have a couple of things in common. They are easy to tie and they catch fish.
Several years ago I was asked to tie at Sowbug and Conclave. I think that being around all of the great tiers there helped me hone my skills further. Whenever I got a few moments, I would sit and watch some of the master tiers like Earl Stanek, Billy Munn, Tony Spezio and others. I think I actually absorbed knowledge by osmosis just by sitting and tying next to some of these guys. For a long time, I was the Education Director for the Mid South Fly Fishers, the fly fishing club in Memphis, and taught fly fishing there for the club. I learned a lot about fly tying by teaching it.
Now, I am scheduled to teach a fly tying class at Arkansas State University Mountain Home in February. The basic Fly Fishing classes that my wife, Lori, and I taught last spring and fall went over so well, that I thought that it was time to branch out. I am going to teach this one by myself. Lori is not a fly tier. Her interests lie more in fly casting. Every time we attend Sowbug or Conclave, she spends her time with the fly casters while I am hanging out with the fly tiers.
This class is designed for the complete novice. If you have always wanted to learn how to tie your own flies, this is the class for you. I also think that it will help other tiers that have tried to teach themselves to tie flies but are not satisfied with the results. I am going to concentrate on teaching basic skills and techniques that are used on all flies. One of the things that I will key in on is proportion. That is to learn exactly how big the tail, abdomen, thorax, head and wing should be in relation with each other. I will also illustrate simple techniques on how to make your flies more durable, so that you can catch fish after fish without the fly coming apart.
In order to teach these skills I will show you how to tie the flies that I use on my guide trips every day. All catch fish and are easy to tie. They all comply with Berry’s law of fly tying, “you have to tie them faster than you lose them”. They all use techniques that are common to all flies.
My students are encouraged to furnish their own tools (fly tying vise, scissors, hackle pliers, bodkin, thread and whip finish tool). I do have about three sets of tools for any student that wants to learn to tie before they buy anything. I will furnish materials.
I continue my tying as I think about my class. In fact, I just packed my travel fly tying bag for a road trip to visit family over the holidays. I will be tying whenever I have a little down time.
John Berry is a fly tying guide in Cotter, Arkansas, and has fished our local waters for over twenty five years. John can be reached at (870) 435-2169 or
http://www.berrybrothersguides.com.
